What dry dog food do you use?

[PUPupTheJam]

Is Auturky ok? For pups especially.

Can't afford orijen and the likes but don't want shite.

[Icklepup]

We have Markus Mühle

[joystir59]

Bakers Moist Meaty chunks but only as a treat. Help bulk stool. Otherwise DD is fed on cooked chicken and vegetables, sometimes raw bones.

[liz70]

Royal Canin Medium Puppy, what she was fed after weaning. We have an 18kg bag that she's munching her way through; not sure if we'll switch after that.

[starcrossedseahorse]

Just seen that you maybe want some good cheaper food recommendations. Autarky is supposed to be one of the better cheaper feeds but I also rate very highly Fishmongers Finest from Pets at Home - it scores pretty well, is a good food, reasonably priced and if I was going back to kibble I would be feeding this.

[starcrossedseahorse]

Check out allaboutdogfood - it is very helpful but remember that different foods suit different dogs. I tried many of the high end kibbles (Millie's, Canagan, Orijen etc) with little success - they were too rich for him and he didn't really like them.

I then found cold pressed food which I feel is a more balanced way of feeding and works really well for my boy. I have used Gentle which is fantastic but now use Guru as he prefers the flavours. Cheaper versions are Lukullus and Markus Muhle. It rates very highly and suits my dog so we are both happy.

I do have to feed a bit more than the recommended amount but I am not a strict food weigher in any case as I go by the condition of my dog and what is coming out of him!

[SweetLathyrus]

I use Millie's for my WCS/Springer x. He is fit and happy on it after some trial and error, he is best on 70/30 mixes, which means I can swap flavours as long as they are in that balance with no issues - he likes variety. They also do very small trial packs and have good telephone support for nutrition.

[Rockyrockcake]

Thanks for posting this , I was looking for a new dry food. I have just tried the free order from Tails.com. It was easy to put in the profile. If any one wants a free trial please can you quote SHEIL5RA then i get £10 off my next order.

[KinkyAfro]

Millie's Wolfheart here too for our lab, we use the low fat one as we need to get a bit more weight off her following cruciate surgery

[Kingkiller]

We use Millies Wolfheart. I used to think ddog needed grain-free, but actually the things that upset him are wheat and chicken (apparently lots of dogs have a problem with chicken, and most dog foods contain chicken fat even if they are lamb/beef-based etc). So I'd happily give him food with rice in, but many of the good quality foods are grain-free anyway. I use the lowest-protein Millies foods as they are cheaper but ddog likes them and does fine on them.

[BrokenWing]

HomeOfMyOwn we tried Eden 80/20 and had horrendous diarrhoea and wind. Switched to Millies Wolfheart 60/40 Riverside and it was a little better, but generally stayed the same. Switched to Millies Wolfheart 70/30 Countryside or Salmon and Veg and poop it was perfect and no wind.

Sometimes it just the protein source that upsets then, I think ddog doesn't tolerate trout/herring/chicken but is okay with game and salmon. Millies has a good selection of recipes with different protein sources to try before having to reintroduce grains.

[SunflowerJo08]

We use Harrington's Hypoallergenic for our dogs. When we just had one we used Skinners which is probably the cream of the crop.

[Nesssie]

I used Dr Johns (Silver) which all my dogs have loved from puppies to adults. VAT free as well so not as expensive.

I've now changed to Skinners Working as we do a lot of high energy exercise.

[BiteyShark]

HomeOfMyOwn I found my spaniel was similar and had lots of diarrhoea and wouldn't put any weight on but it turned out that he had inflammatory bowel disease and kibble was too harsh to digest on top of his condition. Simply switching to a wet food from the same manufacture with the same ingredients solved most of that (millieswolfheart). That is why I think it is key just to start with one and try it but be prepared to change if it doesn't suit.

OP I have swopped my dog to different brands and in fact I swop flavours every day so he has variety as I am not keen on just feeding one thing every single day plus my dog gets bored.

[HomeOfMyOwn]

• I actually disagree with a key part of the allaboutdogfood website.

[HomeOfMyOwn]

I actually disagree with a key part of the website. It automatically assumes that an 80/20 feed (80% meat and 20% veg) is better than one with 60% meat and then rice and veg making up the remainder.

In reality a lot of dogs don't do very well on an 80/20 diet particularly as it can be much harder to digest.

I have 2 young entire male spaniels. The first I fed grain free from the start and always had trouble with his tummy and balancing getting enough food in him to keep his weight up enough, without it upsetting his tummy.

Once I got second pup, my first dog could no longer maintain his weight (i think it was all the nutty spaniel playing they did together burning calories I couldn't replace) and couldn't increase food because he got diarrhoea and lost more weight. So I tried going not just grain free but for an 80/20 diet - both dogs (even pup2 who had been fine weight wise until that point) lost weight on this and got diarrhoea if I increased amounts. It was then that I discovered that it's actually a fairly common issue for these super high protein 80/20 diets to cause digestive problems and weight loss. The vet told me to feed chicken and rice and introduce a "lower meat food, with rice in, instead. I went for "barking heads TLC" it's still got something like 60% meat, has rice but not grains like wheat (pup1 is allergic to wheat). I am finally able to feed enough to put weight on pup1 without upsetting his tummy - he is doing great.

So now my requirements for food are

1. No wheat but still contain rice / not grain free - just wheat free
   
2. 40-60% meat content (approx) from decent meat sources.
   
3. No added crap (if you aren't used to deciphering dog food labels the all about dog food website can be good for that part).
   
4. dogs tum stays settled even when I need to feed extra to put weight on him.

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

You could always put in the weight you think she will be eventually and then see what you can find at an acceptable price point :)

[PUPupTheJam]

I'm swaying towards millies wolfheart,
Im just not 100% sure

I find the comparison sites so confusing.

They say, for example, 63p a day, but that's right now at 8 weeks, based on her weight, soon she will be on more so the cost will go up.

I don't want to feed her shit but I also don't want to get her used to something I may not be able to afford long term.

[TheFaerieQueene]

We feed our lab Orijen. We are very happy with it - so is she!

[SureIusedtobetaller]

Did use Barking heads which was fine but he wasn’t keen on it. Tried Lily’s Kitchen and he loved it so stuck with it.

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

The comparison websites are great in the respect that you can see the cost per recommended serving and it breaks it down by quality but, for me, it was mind boggling -.at what point do you strike the balance between quality and value and what's is good for some dogs isn't for others (a colleague feeds his dog a pretty cheap brand because it's the one that works for the dog)

I pretty much put a finger in the air and said I wanted a food of at least 4/5, then I sorted by lowest price, and came out with Markus Muhle. DDog is doing well on it, and it's a lot cheaper than many other dog foods.

As for what's good for each dog - admittedly I don't have a dog with a sensitive tummy, but I think it's a bit of a case of trial and error - but at least a comparison website gives you a good starting point for it.

[Moodycoo]

Skinners

[RoseTheHatt]

Barking Heads.

[Tutlefru]

Started on AVA from PAH which given it's price point I thought was good. Scores 4.1 out of 5 on AADF.

On Applaws now as no longer a pup.

[Honeyroar]

James Wellbeloved Turkey and Veg or Salmon and veg for the one with allergies and intolerances.
James senior for my 9yr old lab that is getting stiff.
Skinners Salmon and rice or Turkey and rice for the normal lab with no ailments who eats like a horse and would cost too much on James Wellbeloved. All our dogs were on this Skinners feed until they got old/got issues! It's ridiculous- buying and storing three different sacks of feed, but hey ho.

[sweetkitty]

Millie’s Wolfheart